The invention relates to relates to a therapeutic glove for the hand, thumb, wrist and forearm of a person suffering from repetitive motion injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, arthritis and related pain and swelling in the hands.
Supporters for hands and wrist are known in the art. However, most are designed for limited non-industrial purposes such as for sports, for example, batting gloves for baseball, bowling gloves, and golfing gloves. Many are designed with the primary purposes of enabling a better grip on the bat, ball, or club, thereby minimizing slippage when manipulating an object or implement such as a bat, handle or trigger assembly. Gloves used in industrial settings are primarily designed to avoid blisters, protect the hands from getting wet or getting contaminated such as when handling hazardous waste. Gloves used for medical purposes are designed for specific malady or address a specific segment of the area and are not meant to be worn during normal everyday activities.
None of the prior art devices known to this inventor solve the problems related to strain on the wrist and palms due to repetitive motions in an everyday real life setting, for example, washing of dishes or preparing a meal, playing in the pool with your youngster, cutting or processing a client""s hair if you are a hairdresser. What is needed is a glove which will when going about our daily lives, working around the house or at a place of business, aid or prevent the weakening of the wrists and prevent tendon strains and soreness, including the development of tendonitis, in the inner palm and lower forearm. In addition, the current gloves on the market simply do not adequately protect or address the specific needs or physical issues caused by repetitive motion in everyday activities that involve getting one""s hands wet or dirty. Even combining some of the features of the prior art gloves does not solve the problem adequately as the resultant glove would still not offer the freedom of movement and lightness, to be washable and submergible, and to offer the support and protection that the present invention provides.
Examples of everyday applications for the use of the present invention are hairdressers, cooks, dishwashers, assembly workers, mechanics, landscapers, gardening and agricultural work, that is, almost any application involving wrist and hand movements, especially long term repetitive motions.
The invention is a one-piece, generally fingerless glove with inflatable chambers around the wrist, thumb and palm. The chambers may be filled with air to apply pressure. Alternatively, they may be filled with warm or cold water, and/or contain magnets. Of course, combination of air, water and magnets may be utilized.
Wearing of the glove provides support and to some degree, limits range of motion, thus relieving pain. It is to be worn during the routine duties of life and especially during performance of the repetitive motions which caused the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome initially. The glove can be worn comfortably during the day, as well as while asleep. Unlike rigid wrist braces and supports that can not get wet, the inflatable glove makes it easy for someone who works with their hands in water or any substance to wear the glove and have the support they need.
The glove is preferably made of a stretchy latex or rubberized, form fitting material. The glove is designed or adapted such that when the chambers are filled, it will fit snugly, applying pressure/heat/cold/magnets to the afflicted areas of the hand, thumb and or wrist/forearm and allowing the wearer to submerge their hands in water while wearing.
The glove has open fingertips, which is also referred to as cut-off fingers, so that the wearer""s sense of touch is not impaired and items can be grasped or picked up normally.
More specifically, the present invention is a compression thumb, wrist/forearm, and upper palm supporter which is useful for prevention of injuries caused by repetitive motions while handling implements in a wet or dry environment. It in effect is a flexible glove which has a finger portion and a wrist partial forearm portion.
The palm portion when inflated provides for a protective padded over an area corresponding to the palm area. The protective padded overlay is typically made from a durable, waterproof and flexible material like latex, rubber, synthetics thereof and combinations thereof
The glove provides for a plurality of durable protective air chambers each of a predetermined width and length, and substantially parallel to each other and sufficiently spaced-apart to allow for restricted movement where desired while allowing for limited or free movement where desired, depending on the chamber pressures created. In addition, the chambers are capable of flexing for accommodating a hand grabbing an implement such as a handle, scissors, hose, tool, nozzle and the like.
A wrist and forearm protective portion extends from the proximal end of the glove body and is of sufficient length to extend a predetermined distance from the wrist along the forearm. The wrist and forearm protective chamber portion is adapted to allow a hand to be slipped into the glove, to accommodate a size and shape of the wrist and forearm covered by the glove, and to secure and apply pressure around the wrist and part of the forearm to which pressure is to be applied.
Inflating means are provided for each inflatable chamber. Such means using air or water are known in the art. They comprise applicable valves or ports for injecting air or water and for releasing such air or water. That is, the inflating means are operatively associated with the upper layer of the glove, there being one inflating device for each segment of internal pocket, to allow for injecting of pressurized air (or water) into each segment of the glove during usage. Each inflating device is capable of being manipulated to provide for release of the pressurized air (or water) from each segment of the glove after use.
In one embodiment, the essentially fingerless waterproof glove includes a pair or series of layers of hermetically sealed material, that can capture pressurized air or water, when applied therein. The chambers are formed through the patterned sealing of the layers of the glove together at select locations, to form air pockets that can selectively apply isolated points of pressure to the affected area of the hand and wrist/forearm section of the person. The palm portion and back portion of the glove body are joined together so as to define respective openings for receiving a forefinger, a a little finger, a middle finger, and an index finger, as well as an opening for receiving a thumb. The glove is design cut to apply encompassing pressure over the entire affected area, and includes inflating means that can allow for the injection of measurable air (or water), to the desired pressure points, or its deflation, after use. The glove consist of 3 air chambers, the thumb chamber, the wrist chamber and the palm chamber. The compression glove body can be made from a variety of materials; however, a preferred application of the invention would use material that can be gotten wet and dried easily such as latex, rubber, nylon material, synthetics thereof, or combinations thereof These materials are lightweight, non-restrictive, water friendly and washable for addressing hygienic and environmental concerns.
Although the inventive glove can be custom made in various sizes to fit different size hands, once inflated, the glove would typically be removable by stretching the elastomeric material. The inflating means would typically be used to temporarily deflate the chambers, which would then allow for the easy removal of the glove from a person""s hand.
All air chambers for the thumb, palm, and wrist portions can be hermetically sealed in a preferred application of the invention; however, there may be other means known in the art such as by using adhesives to affix such components.